Encaustic Buddies

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Mark Holliday and Aaron Sidorenko, “Millarville,” 2018

oil and beeswax on wood panels, 60” x 180”

Calgary artists Mark Holliday and Aaron Sidorenko became fast friends when they had studios in the same building. They each have their own style, but both paint using the challenging pigment-and-wax mixes known as encaustic.

Six or seven years ago, Holliday suggested a collaboration. They tried a few experiments and liked the results. Now, their joint exhibition, which includes several of their collaborative showstoppers, is on view at the Paul Kuhn Gallery in Calgary until Aug. 25.

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Mark Holliday and Aaron Sidorenko, “Field and Train,” 2018

oil and beeswax on wood panels, 60” x 180”

One of the large collaborations is the three-panel Field and Train, which shows a train crossing a flat stretch of land near the mountains. Two other collaborative paintings, Millarville and Field Painting #1, are also large. There’s a ghostly, retro feel to these paintings, almost like looking through a window into the past. Holliday says he tends to romanticize the landscapes he loves.

The two begin by heading out together on their motorbikes to photograph interesting spots. Back home, they prepare studies. “Then we debate what works and what doesn’t,” says Sidorenko.

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Mark Holliday and Aaron Sidorenko, “Field Painting #1,” 2017

oil and beeswax on wood panels, 60” x 120”

They work on one two-foot section at a time, with one person holding a heat gun while the other works with the wax.

Collaborations are not without their challenges.

“Sometimes, when you do something with somebody, they do something you never would have done,” says Holliday. “That’s hard to accept. But you’ve got to go with the flow.” He says Sidorenko is a bolder painter and “pushes me out of my comfort zone, which I really like.” ■

Mark Holliday and Aaron Sidorenko are showing Field Paintings at the Paul Kuhn Gallery in Calgary from June 23 to Aug. 25, 2018.